The 1987-88 Nets; New Season, Same Old Problems

By SAM GOLDAPER

Published: November 5, 1987

The turmoil the Nets have faced the last two seasons brings to mind the Aug. 12, 1985, news conference at which Dave Wohl was named the coach.

Before introducing Wohl, Lewis Schaffel, the chief operating officer at the time, said, ''If we get good luck, and we get good health, we feel we've found the person to take us to the next level and to put rings on our fingers.''

Wohl and the Nets have yet to enjoy good luck or good health. The fast break, option offense and multiple defenses Wohl had plotted in his six seasons as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers, have yet to reach fruition with the Nets. Fast Start in First Season

Wohl's rookie coaching season started well. The Nets were were off to a 23-14 start, one of best in the league, when Micheal Ray Richardson was banned from the National Basketball Association for drug use. Darryl Dawkins was hurt and the season fell apart.

Wohl's second season also began optimistically. The need for a high-scoring small forward was filled with the arrival of Orlando Woolridge, and the drafting of Dwayne (Pearl) Washington was supposed to solve the problem at point guard. What the Nets got instead was a 24-58 record, their worst since 1980.

Dawkins slipped in the bathtub of his home and reinjured his back, limiting his season to six games. Otis Birdsong, the high-scoring off guard, troubled by a stress fracture in his right shin, played seven games and Washington had a lackluster rookie season. In all, Net players missed 256 games because of injuries.

This season, Wohl's third and Harry Weltman's first as general manager, has again brought optimistic rattlings from the Meadowlands.

Concentrating on the biggest need - the backcourt - the Nets used the third pick in the draft for Dennis Hopson, a big guard from Ohio State, whom Wohl called ''a complete package, with a chance of becoming a real great player, an impact player.''

With Birdsong supposedly healthy, with Washington 23 pounds lighter and more mature and with the addition of John Bagley, a respected playmaker, Wohl could again dream of the points he could get from his backcourt.

In addition, the decision was made to stop counting on Dawkins's back to heal. So Dawkins and James Bailey were packaged in a three-way trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Utah Jazz that brought Bagley and Keith Lee to the Nets. Lee, at 6 feet 10 inches, will be used to back up Gminski and Buck Williams at power forward. Things were looking so good that Albert King, a free agent, was declared expendable. Long Season Possible

But injuries befell the Nets again, and if the 1-7 exhibition record is an indication, they could be in for another long season.

''It's bad,'' said Buck Williams, the Nets' most valuable commodity. ''Injuries have hounded us since training camp opened. But if there is a blessing in all this, it's that the injuries have come at a time when wins and losses don't yet count.''

The preseason injuries came in rapid succession. After three days of training camp, Lee developed a mysterious injury that has kept several doctors and specialists baffled as they probe the area of pain between Lee's left knee and ankle. They have yet to come up with any conclusive diagnosis, which has left the backup center job to Chris Engler, whose reputation is that of an ''excellent practice center.''

The injuries also left them short of at forward, so Weltman yesterday obtained Dallas Comegys, a first-round pick last summer from the Atlanta Hawks.

Woolridge, last season's leading scorer with an average of 20.6 points a game, is sidelined until about Nov. 15. He cut the tendon in the right pinkie of his shooting hand with a kitchen knife. Birdsong's left knee is ailing. Tony Brown stretched an Achilles' tendon in the first preseason game against the Knicks and was declared out for the season after surgery yesterday. And Kevin McKenna also has Achilles' problems. 'You Can't Cry'

''When you get a rash of injuries like we have had the past two seasons,'' Wohl said, ''it especially hurts the rookies. They need to play with the veterans to get better. I'm convinced it hurt Dwayne last season and has not been good for Hopson so far. But you can't cry over injuries. You still have to teach. The good thing is they came early and we expect everybody back at full strength in about three weeks. If we can stay away from further injury, maybe we can play some good ball and surprise some people.''

The Nets could easily start the regular season tomorrow night against the Cleveland Cavaliers with five players on the injured list, but the N.B.A. rules permit only three.